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Chapter 17.

“I suppose I had better let you people from L.A. know what’s coming for you.” Joyce regained control of the room with her simple statement. “I mean apart from Darla’s arrival.” She clarified. “Your new champion will be arriving soon, and you need to get ready for him.”

“New champion?” Cordy questioned, a speculative gleam in her eye.

“What’s this?” Wes sat up in attention.

“Angelcakes is not gonna take that well.” Lorne commented mildly.

“I believe, you already know him, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for him to fit in with the group.” Joyce added.

A chorus of voices, asking the identity of the new champion, assailed Joyce.

“The Groosalug.” She announced.

“Groo’s coming?!” Cordy excitedly asked. The other’s smiled indulgently at her obvious pleasure.

“You really should already know this. I don’t know what’s going on with the Power’s, they are so behind on delivering their seers visions.” Joyce commented on the questionable work ethics of the Powers.

As Joyce finished speaking, Cordelia’s whole body seemed to stiffen. A soft glow appeared to surround her, as her eye’s turned totally white. The glow intensified, leaving Cordelia as just a shadow within. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the light seemed to dissipate, fading to nothing.

“Well typical…send the vision after I tell them!” Joyce muttered.

*******

“The L.A. crew is heading off this mornin'. Demon Girl’s gotta get to work an' Nibblet an' Glinda got school. Why don’t you wait a bit on your shower, Pet.” Spike suggested as he held Buffy in his arms and nuzzled her neck.

Buffy turned in his arms, lifting her lips for his kiss. “Okay...but you get to cook for me.” She smiled up at him.

“Ah...so the truth comes out...you just want me for my culinary skills.” He teased.

“Ya ha.” She nodded in agreement.

“Minx!” he laughed, swatting her backside as she tried to dance away from him.

Their playful banter was interrupted by a bevy of female voices screaming in unison; “SPIKE!”

“What did you do?” Buffy asked her mate, her demeanour a mixture of worry and amusement, as he started laughing.

The arrival of the four furious females, to the kitchen, ensured that a few extra minutes would be required before any sense would be coming from the laughing ex-vampire. The girls stood stock still and waited. Arms crossed; hair at various stages of drying and in various shades of blue.

*******

With the departure of the group from L.A. and then the flurry of activity as Giles and Anya departed for the Magic Box and Tara and Dawn to school, Buffy took the opportunity to enjoy the first real bit of peace and quite she’d had in three days. She sat back on the couch and thought about the changes in her life; in Dawn’s life. What would life bring as an immortal, she wondered, ‘guess we’re gonna find out’, she thought smiling.

She continued to smile as her thoughts moved on to Spike and the changes in him that they’d all witnessed over the last three days; all it had taken to get him to shed the defensive ‘Big Bad’ persona, to show them all how playful and loving he could be, was for her to tell him she loved him and leave him in no doubt. The assurance, of her love; that he felt through their bond, had helped to negate a century of feeling second best. She loved him, and he knew it.

Her thoughts moved to Willow and Xander. She had been hoping that after a cooling off period, she might be able to rescue her friendship with Willow, but after the unnecessary involvement of Angel, she was unsure. Maybe time, would allow her friend to face her own culpability, maybe not. Buffy had no such thoughts where Xander was concerned. If he hadn’t got the message in four years that she wasn’t interested in him in that way, he just wasn’t gonna get the message. Better to let that friendship stay dead.

When the phone interrupted her musings, she sighed in resignation as she moved to answer it. “Summers’ Residence, Buffy speaking.”

“Buffy, it’s Riley.”

“Riley?” Buffy questioned, hoping that she had misheard.

“Yeah. Look I don’t know what’s going on in Sunnydale, but my commander just got a call from the Pentagon. Apparently Xander’s been trying to get a message to me. He’s already called both Monterey Army Base and the Pentagon. He’s telling the switchboard operators classified information. He has to be stopped, Buffy. I know he’s a friend of yours, so I’m asking you...what you want me to do about Xander.”

“WHAT?!” She yelled, furious.

“I’m sorry Buffy, but I can’t just let this go. I’ll get in trouble if I do. As I said, I know he’s your friend, so I thought it only fair to ask you for suggestions, rather than just hand him over to the federal authorities.”

“Not so much with the friends anymore, Riley, but that’s sooo not your business so...ooh I have an idea...” Buffy went on to tell him her idea.

*******

When Xander Harris arrived home from work that evening, there were two army officers waiting for him. Moving past them, to insert the key to his lock, thus opening the door to his apartment, Xander turned to his visitors. The two officers waited until he turned to them, after opening his door, before addressing him. His excitement swelled. He hoped; he really hoped that this visit was something to do with Riley.

“Mr. Harris? Mr. Alexander Lavelle Harris?” One of them asked.

“That’s what it says on my driver’s licence.” He informed them, grinning.

“We’re here to pass on a private message from an Agent Riley Finn.” The second man offered.

“Hey, that’s great man, I knew one my phone calls would get his attention. How is he? Will he be here soon, or is he just gonna ring me first, although I guess it’d be hard to ring from the middle of the jungle, right.” Xander bounced on his toes, happily anticipating a reunion with his friend and knowing that together they’d be able to fix the mess with Buffy.

“Agent Finn asked us to pass on a message for him. He said, and I quote; ‘Tell that moron that the only reason I ever even acknowledged his presence was because he was a friend of the girl I was dating at the time. As the girl is no longer my girlfriend, I don’t really feel the need to keep up the pretence of friendship with that idiot and if he ever tries to contact me again, I might find it necessary to report all the information I have in relation to the theft of a certain rocket launcher’. Is that clear, sir?” The first officer asked.

“Oh yeah, I’d say that’s perfectly clear.” Xander looked decidedly pale as he gently closed his door.





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